Whether you are looking for a new job, or just a promotion, your makeup can make the difference between your getting the job or not. Your personal grooming should communicate reliability, competence and professionalism as you prepare for a job interview.

Overall, the key is to understand the importance of first impressions.More importantly, when you feel confident about your appearance you'll be able to focus on presenting your qualifications and experience. Makeup for a job interview should be light, natural and sophisticated. It should only accentuate your natural beauty. If you look in the mirror and all you see is your makeup, it is too heavy and most likely you just need to rethink your color choices.You don't want to apply the same make-up you would wear for a night on the town as for an interview.

Makeup: Less is more, stick to soft, muted colors and don't overdo it.

Give yourself extra time. If you take10 minutes to get ready in the morning, allow yourself 20.

The night before your interview, exfoliate face and lips by gently rubbing with some salt and olive/coconut oil. After, rub some coconut oil into your lips and top with some Vaseline.

Get rid of any errant eyebrow hair or chin hair with the help of a good pair of tweezers.

For your face, you probably won't need much more than concealer and loose powder. If you have blemishes or uneven skin tone, by all means, use a foundation. Apply foundation with a damp sponge squeezed in a paper towel of excess moisture. This will assure a very light, sheer coverage and not too heavy.

Avoid too much eye makeup. Use eye shadows in neutral shades such as tan, taupe, brown, soft plums, grey and cream. You need to look competent and capable, not sultry or sexy.

A thin line of smudged pencil eyeliner is really all you need on top lashes.Skip the liquid liner; even if you can apply it like a pro, it’s too much for an interview. A thin coating of mascara will complete the look leaving your eyes naturally beautiful and not appearing heavily made up. After applying mascara on your eyelashes, comb through them to remove any clumps.

The use of a soft pink blush, lightly applied on the apples of your cheeks will give your face a fresh, muted look. Use this rather than bronzer for a natural looking, healthy glow.

Wear lipstick, not lip gloss. Keep your lip color as neutral as possible – a shade or two closer to your natural lip color will work well, or try a very pale berry or pink color, and skip the lip gloss.

Avoid wearing any makeup comprising of glitter, shimmer or sparkle.

Hair: Keep it simple

If you can, wash and dry your hair the night before the interview. By getting that out of the way you'll save time in the morning

If your hair is long, consider pulling it back in a ponytail. This way you won't be tempted to absentmindedly fiddle with it.

Even if you don't use hair spray every day, a light dusting of it will keep flyways at bay.

Skip the flashy hair accessories.

Keep your hair out of your face at all costs. Long bangs falling into your eyes are sexy for a date, but they won't project a professional image. If you need to get them out of your face, use a simple barrette or bobby pin.

Nails: Unless you have naturally clean, even, hangnail-free nails get a manicure.

It doesn't matter whether your nails are long or short, but they should be neatly filed.

A neutral nail is fool-proof, so look for barely-there beige and pink polishes. Classic red can work, too, but use your judgment: It'll probably fit in at an ad agency, but not at a conservative law firm.

Fragrance:Don't wear any. Your interviewer might have an allergy.

Or what if it turns out to be the one scent she doesn’t like.

One might perspire more than usual during an interview due to the added stress, so it is important to keep blotting tissues handy at all times.

Also, keep in mind the fluorescent lighting can have a drastic effect on the makeup, particularly that with orange and green tones. It is advisable to use colors in rose and pink families to combat this effect.

Get to interview a few minutes early to touch up in the restroom or a nearby cafe, to check for perspiration, lipstick on the teeth, crumbs around the mouth, and anything around your nose.

Remember to hold your shoulders back and walk tall. Be confident and enjoy the experience.

Finally, SMILE. All of the primping and grooming doesn't mean a thing if you aren't excited to be there. Good luck!